Declaration of the Scarab
by EAKsymphony
Summary: With the creation of a new Arbiter and the formation of a Fireteam, will they be able to prevent the threat of an oncoming doom from within? How would romance, tragedy, humor, drama, and despair forge Fireteam Scarab into something more than just a team? A collaboration story between OddSlayerFenrir and EAKsymphony.
1. Alexandra C Nebulus

**EAK: Hello everyone, I'm EAKsymphony.**

**Odd: And I'm OddSlayerFenrir. *playing Smash Bros.***

**EAK: This is our first collaboration story together. We've been working on this for about half a year to almost a year. That sound about right?**

**Odd: Yeah. *focused on Smash Bros.***

**Sirius: Take that, Odd! *playing Smash Bros. against Odd***

**EAK: Odd, why is Sirius here? You know that she'll be showing up soon.**

***Odd doesn't answer***

**EAK: *rolls eyes* Anyway, we've been working on this for some time and we can relate to a specific character. The OC I relate to is in this chapter. However, we do have some differences in writing styles. I'm a bit more conservative while Odd can be a bit more explicit. So be aware when you read each of our versions. Don't you agree?**

***Odd doesn't answer again***

**EAK: ODD!**

**Odd: Woof! *loses to Sirius because he got distracted***

**Sirius: I beat you!**

**EAK: Come on, Odd. Let's finish this so that I can help you with fighting.**

**Odd: Fine, Halo is owned by 343 Industries and we own the OCs.**

**EAK: Good, now let's go fight. *picks him up and takes him away***

* * *

Admiral Osman is standing in an office as she looks out the window towards the star-filled space.

I believe it's time I made Fireteam Scarb a reality. It'll be a good step towards improving Human and Sangheili relations, and more importantly a final dagger in the heart of what will soon be forgetting of the Covenant, she thought.

A few soldier profiles laid on the desk as she continued to look out at space. She then smirks and slowly heads back to the desk to carefully examine them once again.

* * *

Where do I begin? My name is Alexandra C. Nebulus. I'm one of the many Spartans assigned to the UNSC _Infinity_. I was born April 22, 2527, with brown hair and green eyes, to Sam and Ally Nebulus on the planet Luna, also known as the Moon. I'm Egyptian mixed with a little bit of Greek and Italian. Though I was my parents' only biological child, I have two older brothers, Anthony and Julian. I was named after Alexander the Great of Macedonia, however, I often suspect that it is also after the Great Library of Alexandria. My childhood was nice and my family life was stable.

_An eight-year-old Alexandra is playing with her brothers in the living room while her father watched the news and her mother was folding clothes. The three children are playing a card game when the two boys "jumped" Alexandra and began tickling her._

In those days, things were nice. Our father worked at the Academy at Mare Nubium, also known as Luna OCS Academy, while our mother was into politics. Even with their jobs, they found time for the three of us. However, as we got older, things began to change. Our father wanted my brothers to join the Academy, but they wanted to do other things besides military work.

_I watched discreetly as our father berated my brothers. "Why would you not want to go to the Academy?!"_

_Julian didn't make direct eye contact with our father, but Anthony responded back. "I don't want you to worry about me and what happens. I've seen many of our friends lose siblings and/or parents to combat and I don't want you to experience the same thing with me."_

_Our father looked at Julian for his response. It took him a moment before saying, "I met a girl and I really like her. Though she's not what you would want, she is really kind and we don't want to lose each other."_

_His face looked angry, but I could see in his eyes that he understood him. "If both of you aren't going, then I probably shouldn't consider you my sons anymore."_

_He was about to leave when Anthony said, "I didn't say that I wouldn't go to the Academy, but it doesn't mean that I have to become an officer." Our father looked at Anthony with a quizzical face. With a deep breath, Anthony continued, saying, "I want to be a part of the Rutherford Science Magistrate."_

"_As for me, while I do want to be with this girl, I'd rather go into politics rather than the military," Julian added. "I would probably make for a better intermediary for the politicians and the military, thus placing me on the side of politics."_

_Our father looked at the two of them first with disappointment, followed by relief. "I've raised you two well. If that is what you wish, then I will allow it. As for you Anthony, once you graduate, I expect you to do something good with that degree."_

Julian stayed with that girl and the two eventually got married and had children. While not always the absolute best, he did turn out well when it came to his plan. As for Anthony, he graduated with his degree and decided to stay there and teach others. When it came to me, I went into the Luna OCS Academy without any hesitation. I figured that he would want one of his children to follow in his footsteps, and unlike my brothers, I wasn't afraid of combat. In fact, I embraced it. I would try and hear about all different kinds of stories about those who were fighting and what was happening, no matter where the source was coming from. One story that stuck with me was that of Captain Thomas Lasky. What happened to him at Corbulo Military Academy in 2526 was one of sadness and inspiration. While this happened in the early years of the Human-Covenant War, when I learned of its truth years later, it just reinforced my thoughts and motives.

After completing my studies at Luna OCS Academy, I joined the ODSTs. Though I didn't always see combat, I saw how it affected others.

_It was 2553 and I was at _Lockhart_ Medical Station, having a routine examination following a recent deployment when I heard a woman and a man, who sounded like they were arguing. Following the voices, I found two fellow ODSTs, with the man standing beside the resting woman. At first, they didn't notice me, but the woman soon discovered my presence. "Can I help you with something?" she asked, which brought the man's attention to me._

"_Sorry, I didn't mean to disturb you, but I was overhearing what you were saying and I feel terrible for what happened to you." At first, it didn't seem like she was going to accept my apology, but I then added, "My name's Alexandra Nebulus, a fellow ODST." Her expression relaxed a little and she gave a slight nod of the head, which meant that she was fine with me entering._

"_This is Edward Buck, and I'm Sarah Palmer," the woman stated, probably trying to be courteous to me by only giving their names. I gave a small nod along with a smile. "So what is a fellow ODST doing here, especially one that seems to be in good condition?"_

_I had a feeling that she was going to ask that question when she saw me. "After every deployment, I usually like getting an exam to make sure everything is alright with me. What happened to you that you're here?"_

_She gave a small smile back and said, "An assignment that became a rescue mission of an admiral."_

_The man finally spoke, "First off, people call me Bucky. My team ended up saving her, and she was the only survivor of her squad. She sustained some injuries from the assignment and was sent here to be treated. Anyway, I must be off. It was a pleasure to meet you." With that, he walked out and left the two of us to ourselves._

It wouldn't be until several months passed that I would see him again when he became a Spartan. As for Palmer and me, we talked about our experiences and I learned more about her recent assignment, getting a bigger idea of what other ODSTs went through. It was during this interaction that we got to know each other better, whether it was through our similarities and differences or our experiences and personalities. Through her, I felt like I made a good friend, and I knew that it was going to help me.

_We were talking when a man came in. He was bald and his face had a look of determination. "Corporal Palmer?" the man asked. She nodded. "My name is Jun and I'm here to discuss something with you." Looking at me, he added, "In private." When he said that, I felt that there was an air of superiority with him._

"_I'll be right outside," I said and left the room, making sure the door was closed behind me. It seemed like a long time before the man asked me to come in. I was a little confused with the reason as to why he wanted me when he first came to talk with her. Nevertheless, I went in anyway._

_Standing between the two of them, he began to explain things. "I was just offering Corporal Palmer a chance to be a part of the new Spartan-IV program. However, from her perspective, she also thinks that you would be a good candidate for the program, though I came here only for her. While I think it's unwise, it might be possible to allow you in."_

Afterward, I was worried that they wouldn't accept me, but with Palmer's help, they allowed me into the program. We went through biological and chemical augmentations for about three weeks. At times it seemed like agony, but I stayed strong as I went through it. After the augmentation process, we went through some rigorous training. However, during the first training session, Palmer didn't work with the rest of us, as a team. She was told off, in a way, after the training.

_That evening, just before going to sleep, I went to check on Palmer to see how she was. She seemed alright, but I had a feeling that something was off. "Hey, are you alright? You know that he was directing what he said to you, right?"_

_She didn't say anything at first, but then she said, "I don't get it. Why would he say that?"_

"_He wasn't wrong. We were supposed to work as a team. If everyone did things for themselves, they might not be able to proceed in life, and their assignments," I explained to her. With that, I left so that she could think about what I said and all that._

She learned from that experience and became a better Spartan and team member. We were later transferred to the UNSC _Infinity_. It was here that we encountered Ilse Zane, a person who participated in the prototype phase of the Spartan-IV program. Also during this encounter, Palmer proved that she belonged there.

_With Ilse in custody, I turned to Palmer. "That was some great work and leadership there, Palmer."_

_She smiled at me and said, "Call me Sarah."_

"_Then you can call me Alex."_

Commander Palmer is the only person that I allow to call me Alex.

We continued working together on several missions as more Spartan-IVs came to _Infinity_. During some of these missions, we were up against the species that were on the Covenant side of the Human-Covenant War. Many of these species I didn't care for much or I didn't like, but some drew my attention. The Unggoy, which we often referred to as Grunts, were occasionally funny, especially when they speak. Another species, the Huragok (also known as Engineers), were quite intriguing, especially when it came to how they were able to make all the different things and how they're able to do it. Lastly, the Sangheili, or Elites, were the ones that I have the greatest respect for. They are loyal and had helped us in ending the Human-Covenant War. The most notable of them is the Arbiter, who I have the greatest respect for out of all the Sangheili, and while I never encountered him, his legacy was known among us, and I truly respect him.

_I was in my quarters, doing some sketching when the door suddenly opened and in came Palmer. "Hey Alex, got a minute?"_

"_Sure, what's up?" I turned to face her, not even deciding to close my sketchbook._

"_I know that last mission seemed to test your limits and I wanted to check in on you." She looked over and saw my sketchbook. "What's that?"_

"_It's just a sketchbook."_

"_Yeah, but what do you have in it is what I want to know." She grabbed for the book, but I was able to get it away from her. Palmer continued to get it from me, and I continued to keep it away from her, but she managed to get a hold of it and flip through the pages. "Alexandra."_

"_It's not what…"_

"_These sketches are really good. My only question is why they are all of the Arbiter."_

_I responded with a sigh, and some blushing. "I don't know why, but I seem to have an appreciation for the Sangheili, specifically the Arbiter. As for exactly when this started, I'm not sure. My only guess in regards to the Arbiter is that he helped in ending the Human-Covenant War. Please don't tell anybody about this."_

_Palmer smiled. "I won't, and if I did, I would ask you first. Just be careful about showing it to others. You know that there are mixed feelings among the people on the ship."_

_I nodded in understanding._

Palmer kept her promise and didn't tell anyone my secret.

As time went by, Palmer became in charge of more Spartan-IVs, though we still managed to find time to have little chats when we weren't busy. Things on _Infinity_ seemed like they were going well when something happened that would change everything.

_I was preparing to enter slipspace when I saw Palmer. Running up to her, I asked, "What's going on? Why are we going into slipspace?"_

"_Two things just happened, and one of which is something that none of us expected," she said and continued what she was doing._

At that moment, I didn't realize that what was going to happen was going to be quite important among many of us Spartans.

_It was him. THE Master Chief, John-117, the finest Spartan-II ever created, and the person who not only saved Captain Lasky but also ended the Human-Covenant War. I couldn't believe that I was seeing him in person. There were rumors about him and how he went missing, but the fact that he's here is incredible. Though I wasn't able to talk with him, the fact that I was able to see him was incredible._

After that moment, things began to change on _Infinity_. Palmer was taking command more and I was having to fight more than I had in the past, considering those who were trying to rebuild the Covenant as well as the so-called Prometheans. I was lucky that I didn't get any serious injuries, however, my efforts weren't in vain. I have received praise and some people have even said that I have the potential for being a leader. Either way, life has changed for me.

* * *

One day, while doing an equipment check, an officer came up to Alexandra. "Captain Lasky wants to see you on the bridge," he said. She wasn't sure why he wanted to see her, but she knew that she couldn't say no to him.

"You wanted to see me, Captain Lasky?" He was there with Palmer as she stood before them after making her way to the bridge.

"Yes, there is something that I want to discuss with you. You are being assigned to a Fireteam that you can call your own," Captain Lasky said.

Palmer gave her a small smile and said, "Though I think you would be a better Commander of the Fireteam, you will be a part of Fireteam Scarab. Your teammates have already been selected. Two are already on _Infinity_, but one will be coming here from _Meriwether Lewis_. You will be meeting her when she arrives. Her name is Spartan Mason."

"When she is here, you will all meet at a designated location and time that I will send you later," Captain Lasky said. "Dismissed."

Alexandra left with a salute. A smile grew on her face as she left.

That day would change her life.

* * *

As she finished looking at Spartan Nebulus's profile in her temporary office on _Infinity_, she had no doubt that Nebulus was a worthy Spartan for the Fireteam. Not only did she have experience with Commander Palmer, but she also showed some potential in becoming a leader herself.

Having that in mind, she looked to the next profile.

* * *

**Odd: Alright, now that we've met her, we can meet the others. Also, that fight was rough, EAK.**

**EAK: Sorry, but you're right. If anything, it will be interesting to meet the others. To our readers, please review, rate, and share our story. It would mean a lot to us for your feedback. I know that what I want to do if we get enough interest in the story is a guidelines fanfiction. I know I find them funny. What about you, Odd?**

***isn't paying attention because he's playing Smash Bros. again with Sirius***

**EAK: Odd, focus! If you don't, I'm forcing you to dance to Let It Go and Into the Unknown from both Frozen movies.**

**Odd: I won't do that! *starts running away***

**EAK: Get back here, Odd! *chases after him***

**Sirius: They're going to get along just fine.**


	2. Zeko 'Vutum

**Odd: *looking a little nervous* Hey everyone, OddSlayerFenrir here. I'm hiding from EAKsymphony. She's still on my case about learning how to fight, and with Alexandra having a little time, it's going to be a rough session.**

**Sirius: *appears beside him* You know that they're going to find you with that tail of yours.**

**Odd: Thanks for the reminder. At least we get to meet my best boy in this chapter.**

**Sirius: I'll try to keep them away but before I go, 343 Industries own Halo and we own the OCs. *disappears in a flash of light***

* * *

Zeko 'Vutum and Thel 'Vadam casually walked towards Thel's private corridors for a bit of privacy.

"Arbiter, you were the one that suggested that we not see each other like this. Why the sudden change?" I asked. He chuckled a bit and approached me slightly. Softly, he exhaled and started to speak.

"Is it so wrong for me to want to see my mate before I depart? Zeko, I cannot promise that I'll survive this mission. If that comes to pass, there is a very likely possibility that the High Council will force you to become the Arbiter," he said sternly.

I thought for a moment. _I'm sure I'll be able to see Thel again, but if it happens that he does… Well, I'll uphold his mantle with both pride and love._

"Hmph, Thel, I know you won't die. You're far too skilled for that. Even if you did, do you think my feelings for you would change?" I said looking him in the eyes with and ensuring gaze. He merely smirked and walked over towards me. We did things that should never be spoken of or even talked about among Sangheili. Ultimately, he left me with a gift, and a slight pain, that I'll never forget.

It wasn't until mere hours later that I heard from him again. He'd reached out to me through a private channel and told me that the Great Journey was a lie and so much more. The news shocked me. My mind immediately raced to assumptions of Thel being a heretic. Even so, I couldn't bring myself to believe it until I noticed how desperate the council had become.

They seemed to focus much of their effort of retrieving an artifact known as an Activation Index and nothing else. It soon started to become clear to me of what Thel was saying.

I raced to a friend of mine to confirm my thoughts. He was close to the High Council as well. He was one of the best of the honor guard known as Baal 'Batrum. "Baal, we must speak in private," I said in seriousness. He immediately understood and we rushed to a place of secrecy.

"What's this about Zeko, have you pulled me aside to tell me about the seed Arbiter-," I immediately stopped him before he could continue with his ridiculousness.

"No. Have you noticed the behavior of the High Council lately?" I asked carefully. He nodded and told me exactly what I needed to hear to confirm my suspensions.

As I heard this, the more and more I accepted the harsh reality of my and many others' fate. But, I knew I couldn't do anything about it unless I was in a position of power. I needed the title of the Arbiter, that way I would be able to take some form of action.

Luckily for me, it became evident to the High Council that Thel turned against them, and in their desperate time, they turned to me to help them.

* * *

A few hours later in the holy capital of the Covenant city High Charity, in a room known as The Mausoleum of the Arbiter, the Prophets of Truth and Mercy, appear to be gathered in wait of someone.

All are to a low mumble when the front doors open and a Sangheili Warrior, Zeko 'Vutum, was seen entering the room confidently, he seemed to bear the Mark of Honor painted on his chest. He stood in front of the Prophets of Truth and Mercy in pride.

"We are left with no other choice. It is time you accept this new fate of yours, Zeko 'Vutum. Do you know what this place is?" the Prophet of Truth asked.

"Yes, this is the Mausoleum of The Arbiter. I am not worthy of being here. I don't deserve to stand in the same room as my Grandfather, the very same Arbiter that brought an end to the Unggoy Rebellion," Zeko said.

"Not just yet. You can feel that way once you've restored the title of Arbiter to its former glory," the Prophet of Mercy said, raising his hands to the sky in a form of praise.

"You, Zeko 'Vutum, are to eliminate the Arbiter before you, Thel 'Vadam," the Prophet of Truth said in an almighty tone.

"You are to set an example of Thel, show him and his followers that the Great Journey will lead us to salvation," the Prophet of Mercy said with passion.

"Now, accept your mantle, and punish the heretics," the Prophet of Truth said.

Slowly, Zeko walked between the Prophets and walked to the approaching armor. Without them noticing, Zeko smirked in success. _My plan worked, and now with this title, I can make a change. I can save my brethren from this cruel fate known as the Great Journey._

Slowly, a new model of the Arbiter's Armor could be seen floating towards Zeko. "Yes, I shall not fail in my mission," he said standing and walking to the armor. Slowly, I reached for the helmet and looked into its shine for a moment in thought.

"Now go Zeko, take what you need and show the Covenant that Thel merely speaks words of a deranged heretic," the Prophet of Mercy stated.

He nodded and immediately left the Mausoleum, the helmet upon his head. As he exited, many of his friends, Baal and Zeref included, were kneeling in front of him. And, it wasn't just Sangheili, there were Jiralhanae, Unggoy, and even Kig-Yar.

"Arbiter, preparations have been made. The shipmaster is ready for departure on your signal," Baal said standing at my side.

A while later Zeko was approaching the dock of an average-sized Covenant battleship. He noticed that the Shipmaster, Dedus 'Eenvu, was approaching him. They warped onto the ship and headed to the Captain's Deck where only the two of them could be seen.

"Arbiter, we have found the location of the _Valorous Salvation_. I remember you saying that we'll need a much bigger ship if we'd hope to return home and join the Swords Of Sanghelios in their battle, am I wrong?" Dedus asked. Zeko looked at him with assurance before speaking.

"No, you are correct: _Valorous Salvation_. That ship was apart of the Covenant Navy and under the command of a Jiralhanae known as Chieftain Parabum. He was truly a despicable Jiralhanae. He slaughtered his crew and feasted on countless humans in his time. Regardless, it's of the utmost importance that we retrieve his ship. At least then we'll be able to be a useful ally to the Swords. Tell me, Dedus, where did you find it?" Zeko asked.

"On a human colony known as Beta Gabriel. It's an ocean world, with very little land found in the Epsilon Eridani System. I sent a Fireteam in secret to the planet, and they reported back that they'd found the ship submerged underwater recently. We can retrieve it, and it should be in working conditions." Dedus responded with surety.

"Good, then let's depart. If the ship was sunk then, I'd be right to assume that humans are still present on that planet, and had some type of involvement," I said thinking aloud.

Soon the other flight crew members entered the bridge and got in positions. Baal also appeared to have entered to speak with me. He leaned in to whisper in my ear. "Arbiter, you have over a thousand troops at your disposal. Some of them are our allies, but many of them are not," he said concerningly. I showed no concern.

"There is no need to worry. When the time arises to deal with the situation, we shall deal with them. In the meantime, you prepare yourself. When we arrive on the planet, we will most likely have to fight its inhabitants," I said calmly. Baal showed his understanding by bowing slightly and leaving the bridge. As he did, Zeref entered and stood guard by the door.

Dedus turned from his position on the bridge towards me and asked if I was ready to depart. I nodded and took a seat. Slowly, the ship departed from High Charity, and once it was a safe distance from it, I ordered the start of the slipspace drive.

"Onwards to Beta Gabriel," I commanded. Dedus immediately activated the slipspace drive. At the same time, a Jiralhanae on the deck asked why we're heading there and not towards Sanghelios. I simply told him to hold his tongue, and only speak when spoken to. He growled and fell silent. Moments later, he left the deck in frustration.

_I don't need an uprising right now. It would be best to keep an eye on that Jiralhanae._

With a simple glance and nod towards Zeref, he followed the Jiralhanae to ensure he didn't misbehave. In the meantime, I peacefully awaited our arrival on Beta Gabriel.

The planet was stunning. Just as Dedus stated, the planet was mostly a water world. Even so, there were scattered bits of land.

"Arbiter, Taili 'Nocts is requesting to meet with you in the docking bay. She's saying that she has a gift for you," the Shipmaster said turning from his post slightly towards me.

Taili_ and her gifts. I'm unsure of whether that woman generally scares me or wants me dead. Regardless, she knows already of the seriousness of this mission._ I stood from the Captain's seat and headed towards the Docking Bay. At the same time, I ordered the Shipmaster to prepare to descend into the planet.

He nodded.

When I arrived at the Docking Bay, I watched as she excitedly approached me, holding a rather large energy sword.

"Arbiter, thank you for meeting with me on such short notice! Anyway, lookie, I completed the Doom Slasher! The name and device were inspired by Baal. He said he wanted something that looked and sounded cool so that's what I did," she said excitedly smiling. It took me a moment to figure out what to say next. I rubbed my head in slight annoyance.

"Taili, you're beginning to annoy me," I said a bit passively-aggressively.

Her eyes widened and she immediately seemed to smirk.

"Oh, okay. Serious mode, activate! Arbiter, sir, I made this weapon for you. It's heavier than most energy swords but is capable cleanly slicing threw all types of material including rare metals, sir," she said clearly in a playful mood.

She immediately handed me the weapon and whispered in my ear.

"Arbiter, many of the Jiralhanae here are becoming suspicious of you. I'm pretty sure they're going to try something once we transfer ships, so I think I'll hang out around Baal when that happens. Oh, and please watch your back. I don't want my favorite test dummy to die by a cause unrelated to my experiments."

_I swear that woman is a mess. I'm glad to have her. It's unfortunate that she followed me all the way from home. Still, I just wish she'd shape up a bit._

Taili immediately started to walk away from me, but before she could get too far I called out to her. "Taili, how am I supposed to use this?"

She laughed and turned backwards to speak. "It works the same way an energy sword does, but you gotta swing really, really, really hard to do the energy slash projectile. Anyway, see you later, buddy-I mean-Arbiter!"

I looked at the sword for a moment before I summoned its blade. It was magnificent in color and shone with a beautiful transitioning blue to green. I smiled slightly at the sight of it. _Damn, she's good._

Slowly I began to be approached by my Fireteam. First was Baal 'Batrum, on the battlefield he's given the title: _The Sangheili Berserker._ Baal was known for getting a bit blood lustful on the battlefield. In some cases, he'd been acknowledged by other Sangheili as my rival.

To his left was the one Jiralhanae I would trust with my life. She was a Jiralhanae Chieftain known as Asterisk. She carried a mighty Gravity Hammer in the form of a Halbert. She joined the Covenant around the same time I did. I suppose you could say that she was my rival when it came to my Jiralhanae teacher. At first, she wanted to kill me, simply because she thought I was weak. It was only through an intense sparring match that she began to acknowledge me as an equal. In combat, she was known as _The Blood Moon Chieftain_ and shows no mercy to the troops that would even dare question her authority.

Approaching on the left side of Baal was a Skirmisher from T'vao named Gal Huge. He's known for never missing a shot, regardless of the weapon he uses. He's close friends with Taili, so she constantly allows him to throw her ideas about sniper rifles, his favorite weapon, and she makes them. His current weapon is known as a Dead Shot. A single bullet that enters his opponent's body explodes ensuring death.

And lastly, walking in front of the group was an Unggoy named Knock-Knock. He's the trickster of my Fireteam. He mainly uses a battle mech that would eventually become to be known as a Goblin. This one, in particular, had cryo augmentations. He would freeze his opponents solid on the battlefield and rig them to explode in a glorious fashion.

Each of them bowed before me. I quickly halted them and stated that there was no need for that. "Have we descended to the surface of the planet?" I asked looking towards Baal. He nodded.

"Yes, everything is ready for our departure. We'll be taking a Phantom to beneath the water's surface on your word, Arbiter." Baal stated.

"And what about the condition of the _Valorous Salvation_? Is it functioning?" I asked. Asterisk started to speak.

"Yes, it's currently in a state of emergency, so it's definitely working. Who knows how long that distress signal has been on for. Regardless, we should prepare for whatever might still be living on that ship." Knock-knock agreed with her but immediately stated that he was looking forward to freezing everything on it. Gal remained silent.

"Come, we're wasting time. Our mission is simple: descend to Beta Gabriel's oceans and retrieve the _Valorous Salvation_. Any troops that remain in the ship must be killed. Leave no survivors, is that understood?!" I commanded.

My Fireteam yelled in understanding and followed me to a nearby Phantom piloted by one of my trusted Sangheili. They headed to their seats and while I walked to the cockpit to speak with the pilot.

"Open a private channel with the Shipmaster," I ordered. He didn't hesitate. "On my signal, you will begin docking with the _Valorous Salvation_, assuming it's in working condition. Have Zeref continue to keep a constant eye on that Jiralhanae from earlier." I sternly stated. The Shipmaster stated that he understood immediately. I ended the call and ordered the Phantom to undock. I headed towards my seat at the tail end of the ship and sat, waiting for us to arrive. About an hour later, Arbiter and his crew arrived at Beta Gabriel.

Back on the ship, Zeref was closely following that Jiralhanae from earlier. The two appeared to be in the Docking Bay when suddenly the Jiralhanae turned and slammed Zeref to the ground! That immediately caught the attention of some surrounding crew.

"I know _Arbiter_ sent you to watch me! Did he really think a weak Sangheili like yourself could keep me, Cerberus, son of former _Chieftain Tartarus_ in check!" Cerberus grabbed Zeref by the head and dragged him across the ground. Slowly he held his bleeding body in the air with a single arm and spoke. "The Sangheili have betrayed us! They have betrayed the Covenant and even the Great Journey itself. The Arbiter, Zeko 'Vutum plans to turn us all over to the Swords of Sanghelios! There we will most certainly be killed! Stand with me, and overthrow all of him and his heretics!" Cerberus yelled rallying many troops excluding the Sangheili. They soon armed themselves, and as they did, Cerberus crushed Zeref's head and dropped him.

Hiding in the distance, Taili was inside a sealed-off Phantom with a few other troops, including some of Asterisk's loyalists as bodyguards. She quickly opened a channel to the Shipmaster to inform him of the current situation. He seemed to understand and took the ship down to some land for an emergency landing. He knew things would get violent soon, and that many Sangheili on board could end up being casualties. He told Taili to take the Phantom and be the first to warn the Arbiter of Cerberus's plans. Taili nodded and understanding and left the ship in the Phantom.

Taili immediately attempted to contact Zeko's Phantom. She was successful, but Zeko wasn't on board according to the pilot. They'd successfully arrived at the _Valorus Salvation_'s Docking Bay. She was a bit relieved but told the pilot to tell him of their current situation the moment he could. The pilot understood and gave Taili some useful information on where to hide.

Meanwhile, on the main path to the control room of the _Valorous Salvation_, Zeko and his Fireteam were shocked to see bones of all kinds lining the hallways. Gal started to speak in disgust. "They must have run out of food and resorted to cannibalism."

"Even so, why not just surface and scavenge for food? This planet does have those kinds of resources. I think they were dead long before this place sunk," Asterisk said calmly.

"You both are overthinking this. I'm sure they all just fought each other to death," Baal said walking slightly closer to Zeko.

"You all are right. However, our mission does not involve the investigation of what happened to the crew," Arbiter sternly said. He seemed to leave a salty taste in their mouths. A few moments of silence between them loomed. It was soon interrupted by Knock-Knock walking behind everyone with his CryoMech.

"Fine, Arbiter, but if we get to the control room and we find that it's been turned to a throne room or something cool like that, you're gonna owe me," he said with laughter in his voice. Zeko smirked for a moment.

"Knock-Knock, you're simply despicable," Zeko calmly stated.

Baal soon chimed in. "Oh, I see. Basically, we need to start forcing you into things, don't we? In that case, once we get this over with and join the Swords, why don't you and I go get drunk, after all, warriors do need breaks sometimes," Baal said smiling at Zeko.

Gal's voice could be heard just lightly. "We should have a shooting competition between us, Arbiter. I'd like to see which one of us is the better shooter."

Lastly, Asterisk's loud voice could be heard immediately after. "I don't know if I'd like to do anything with you, Arbiter, but I think I'd just be happy if I could find a man to love on, preferably human. I find humans to be naturally sexy."

Zeko immediately picked up his walking speed and became lost in his thoughts.

_It's just a thought, but if I could have anything, I'd just like to spend a few hours with Thel. It's unnatural for lovers to be this far apart from each other. Then again, we both have to keep our secret away from the Covenant. Still, that could change the moment I join the Swords. I get that we'd still be fighting to make a better future, but at least we'd be able to see each other a bit more than we already are._

Soon Zeko returned from his thoughts and realized that his fireteam was arguing about irrelevant things. "Focus, we're almost to the control room," he said. Within minutes they found themselves entering the control room. They immediately found that there was a throne made of bones in the center of it. Knock-Knock laughed, embarrassing Zeko.

Zeko immediately headed to the control panel and attempted to make contact with the Shipmaster. "Dedus, can you hear me? We've found the _Valorous Salvation_, it's in-," Suddenly Zeko was cut off by the sound of gunfire. This shocked him and made him a bit angry.

"Answer me Dedus, what's happening!" Zeko yelled. Moments of silence passed before Zeko got a response.

"Arbiter, the Jiralhanae, Cerberus, he killed Zeref and rallied some troops. I've landed the ship nearby, Cerberus seems to be gathering our forces outside the ship to slaughter them. You have to get back here as soon as possible and put an end to this," Dedus said, suddenly being cut off by Cerberus himself.

"Hahaha, my suspicions were correct. You are a heretic aren't you, Zeko," Cerberus said menacingly.

Zeko slammed his fist on the control panel in anger and yelled. "How many of my troops, my people, did you slaughter!"

Cerberus laughed before answering. "You're just going to have to come and find out for yourself. You better hurry, otherwise I might start my kill frenzy," Cerberus immediately ended the link and sent Zeko into a passionate rage.

"Get this ship in the air now! We're going straight to Cerberus! I swear I'm going to kill that son of a bitch!" Zeko's Fireteam responded to his rage and immediately attempted to start the ship. Slowly the _Valorous Salvation_ emerged from the great seas of Beta Gabriel. At the same time, Zeko rushed out of the control room in anger and headed towards the Docking Bay, back to the Phantom they'd arrived on. Baal noticed this, and as a friend, knew that this wasn't right. He followed Zeko and attempted to catch up with him.

"Zeko, listen to me," Baal said with concern in his voice.

"There is nothing more to say. Cerberus is out there killing my troops. He will pay for what he's done by my sword!" Zeko yelled continuing to head towards the Phantom, but Baal got fed up with him not listening and grabbed him by his armor.

"Thel wouldn't approve of your actions!" Baal yelled, quickly pinning Zeko against a wall.

Zeko kicked him away and yelled. "This issue doesn't concern him! You need to stand down, Baal!" Baal's rage was starting to grow in frustration of seeing his friend like this.

"Damn it, Zeko! You're the Arbiter now! Is that really how the Arbiter responds to things like this? You've literally become the symbol of hope for many Sangheili and other species who still wish to free themselves from the Covenant! You can't get angry over something like this; it's exactly what Cerberus wants. In fact, he's probably already set up a trap for you to fall right into the second you face him. Zeko, calm down and think reasonably before you do something stupid. Aren't you always telling me that anyway?" Baal said with a passion.

Zeko stopped for a moment and slammed his fist against a nearby wall. Slowly Zeko was starting to calm down. "You have a point. Thank you, Baal. Don't worry about me at this moment, I've come up with a plan. I promise that I will not die here," Zeko said with beaming confidence.

Baal smiled and turned away, heading back to the bridge to join the rest of the fireteam. Moments later Zeko arrived at the Docking Bay. He was glad to see that, just beyond the Phantom they arrived on, the ship was airborne and fully functional.

Soon, the pilot of the Phantom stepped out and informed Zeko of the news. He understood and ordered the pilot to remain on the ship while he himself took the Phantom down to land, where Cerberus was waiting.

When Zeko arrived, he stepped out of the Phantom to see that Cerberus had already killed many of his crew. Zeko held his anger and approached Cerberus while he sat on their dead bodies.

"Hahaha! You Sangheili are pathetic! Come, Arbiter! I want to kill you in the only way Sangheili see fit!" Cerberus yelled. He slowly stood and grabbed his Gravity Hammer resting next to him. Zeko slowly reached for his augmented Energy Sword made by Taili while he approached Cerberus. "So you're approaching me instead of running away! Good, I'm going to enjoy this!" Cerberus stopping a little ways away from Zeko.

"Shut it already, I just couldn't beat the crap out of you from all the way over there!" Zeko yelled. He immediately dashed towards Cerberus at blinding speeds. Cerberus slammed his hammer to the ground to shatter the rocks underneath him. In that brief moment of them being airborne, he swung his hammer again and hit them towards Zeko with immense force! The rocks were like bullets. However, Zeko immediately grabbed his other energy sword to dual wield and slash the rocks coming his way! He did it in a way that didn't even seem like he was Sangheili.

"Cerberus, you were a fool to think the Covenant could offer you anything! You were a fool to believe your father died for a noble cause! You are nothing more than an out of tuned instrument the Prophets are using to bring about the destruction of everything!" Zeko yelled moving into slashing range of Cerberus. Cerberus roared and tightened his grip on his gravity hammer. Within seconds he was ready to slam it on Zeko's head! But, he found this his arms weren't working properly.

"W-What is this?!" Cerberus yelled.

Zeko put away his Energy Swords and turned towards Cerberus.

"That's new. I had no idea the dead could speak," Zeko said calmly. In that instant, Cerberus's body fell apart. Zeko turned towards the troops that were standing with Cerberus.

"Drops your weapons now, otherwise I'll do the same to you," Zeko said. The troops looked at each other then back at Zeko and surrendered. "I will not kill any of you. You were deceived by first the Prophets, then by Cerberus, both of which knew not of what they spoke. What I'm offering is a change, one that protects rather than oppresses. Join me, and we shall change the way the universe works," Zeko said calmly.

Soon all the troops started to shout Zeko's name in celebration. He smiled at the sound of it.

"Arbiter, I am in your debt," the Shipmaster said approaching him.

"I'm just glad to see you're alive. We can relax when we're back home on Sanghelios. Prepare the ships for departure," Zeko said noticing Taili running towards him.

"Am I to assume docking will have to wait till we're at Sanghelios?" the Shipmaster asked. Zeko nodded. In that same instant, he was tackled by Taili, who was hugging him tightly.

"Remember to bear the banner of Sanghelios, otherwise you will be shot down immediately when entering the atmosphere." The Shipmaster nodded in understanding and lead half of the remaining troops to his ship. The others began walking to the gravity lift of the _Valorous Salvation_.

Zeko soon gave his attention to Taili. "I'm happy to see that you're still alive, my dear sister," Zeko said warmly.

Taili blushed excitedly. "Does that mean I can go back to using my real name?!" Taili exclaimed. She turned from her elder brother and pointed towards the sky. "Tailius 'Vutum has returned world! You'd better watch out, cause I'm gonna knock your block off!" she stated with an innocent smile on her face. Zeko rubbed her head and headed towards the _Valorous Salvation_ with her. Within moments both ships were on their way to Sanghelios. On the way, Zeko took some private time to mourn his friend's death. That was quickly stopped by Baal and Taili bothering him. Eventually, they arrived at Sanghelios and admired the beauty of their home planet.

It was then that they received a call from the planet's surface.

"This is Thel 'Vadam speaking. You are entering a restricted air zone. State your purpose or be prepared to be blown out of the atmosphere." The warming feeling of joy overcame Zeko as he heard his lover's voice over the microphone. Before he could even mutter a word though, Baal, excitedly pushed him aside and yelled at the top of his lungs.

"Thel, it's me, Baal remember? I'm the one you left to babysit your-," Baal spoke with excitement but was quickly interrupted by Zeko kicking him in the back. Zeko's Fireteam laughed with joy. A slight chuckle was heard over the microphone from Thel.

"Baal, you celebrate far too early. Still, you're only acting like that to embarrass Zeko, aren't you? You really know how to steal his thunder, don't you?" Thel stated warmly.

Baal stood laughing. Zeko could be seen as a nervous mess.

"This is Arbiter Zeko 'Vutum speaking. Requesting permission to land, Arbiter Thel 'Vadam," Zeko sated with a smile on his face.

"Permission granted, I'm sending both your ship's landing coordinates now. Zeko, once everything is sorted out, I'd like to speak with you privately," Thel stated. However, towards the end of his sentence, he seemed to have a bit of sorrow in his voice.

"I understand," Zeko responded. Silence fell upon the bridge.

Baal approached Zeko from behind and placed his hand on his shoulder. Zeko looked back in slight curiosity. "He's not going to like that new mark on your chest," Baal stated. Zeko exhaled rather loudly.

"I'm aware. It'll definitely be an uncomfortable conversation to have with him, even if it is one of honor. Regardless, he'll overlook it. Thel has always been soft when matters tend to involve me," Zeko said, heading to the Captain's chair. Knock-Knock suddenly turned around in shock of what Zeko just said.

"Wait?! So like, are you and Thel...lovers?!" he shouted.

Asterisk, Baal, and even Gal facepalmed themselves. Zeko merely closed his eyes and blocked him out. "Knock-Knock, you can be such an idiot sometimes," Asterisk said embarrassingly. Knock-Knock seemed to pout.

"Hey, I'm not an idiot! I just don't listen to Zeko sometimes," Knock-Knock stated.

Gal and the others chimed in, including Zeko. "Don't you mean all the time," they all said. Knock-Knock merely laughed. The rest of the fireteam sighed in joyful annoyance.

Once they arrived at the landing zone, Zeko was told by his fireteam to leave and that he deserved a bit of quality time with Thel, but Zeko hesitated to leave at first. Ultimately he was grabbed out of the ship by Baal, who told him that everything was going to be fine. Left with no other choice than to believe him, Zeko left the ship. Slowly, amongst the troops transporting food and weapons from the base to the ship, Zeko noticed Thel approaching him.

"Zeko, let's go somewhere more private. We have much to discuss," Thel stated leading Zeko away. Soon they arrived at the living space for the Swords. However, this space was special, it was designed for the Arbiter. Zeko was taken by the beautiful view Thel had. When he turned to look towards Thel he found that he was looking at the same thing.

"Zeko, you've done so much in my absence. I truly am sorry for not being there with you," Thel stated looking directly at Zeko's mark with concerned intrigue. Zeko lifted Thel's head.

"Stop talking nonsense, Thel. Besides, you knew that this would happen if things happened to you, and now I'm here with you," Zeko said warmly. Thel laughed at him for a moment. Zeko seemed a bit confused by this.

"What's so funny, Thel?" Zeko asked. Thel calmed himself slowly.

"It's just amusing to me how you're implying that coming here was the end of your journey. Zeko, I want you to go help the UNSC while representing the Swords of Sanghelios. I want you to build a growing relationship with the Human and Sangheili factions. I only trust you with this mission because I know you wouldn't do anything to shame me," Thel stated, grabbing Zeko's hand. Zeko smiled at the thought and nodded.

"I'll do it, but first you're going to build your relationship with me," Zeko said softly. Slowly he gazed into Thel's eyes and smiled warmly.

"I thought you'd never ask," Thel said softly. Within minutes, the two of them engaged in the heated sexual encounter they so desperately wanted with each other. The sensual moans of both Zeko and Thel's lovemaking filled the room.

A few hours later, and after about four more rounds, Zeko, without his armor on, was looking out towards the setting Sangheili sun from Thel's balcony. It's slight but a love marking could be seen on the right size of Zeko's neck.

"Is something wrong, Zeko?" Thel asked. Zeko exhaled and turned towards Thel, who was resting on his bed.

"When should I prepare for departure?" Zeko asked calmly.

"It'll take about four years to complete the necessary repairs to the Valorous Salvation, so you'll have to stay for the time. Unfortunately, I need your help with skirmishes all around the planet, so I doubt we'll be able to see each other, but I will make time for you, I swear it, Zeko," Thel stated with clear sadness in his voice.

"I see. In that case, I'll just have to enjoy the rest of the night with you," Zeko said softly. His words immediately reminded Thel of something he'd wanted to give him. Thel stood from his bed and walked over to a small device the size of an average human cell phone.

"Zeko, I had a few people make these for us. They're long-distance communicators. With them, we can remain in contact with each other even when we're far away," Thel stated handing him the device. Zeko smiled and hugged Thel. They soon returned to bed, but before the two of them could fall asleep, Zeko couldn't help but tell that he loved him. Far too tired from their sexual encounter to respond, Thel merely wrapped his arm around Zeko and slowly fell asleep with him.

_I love you too,_ Zeko, Thel thought briefly before completely succumbing to sleep.

Before Zeko knew it, four years and some months had come and gone. From dealing with skirmishes all over the planet to gaining the trust of the Sangheili politics, he lost track of time. In the meantime, Zeko's ship was restored to fully operational condition. On the sunrise of that morning, Zeko and Thel awoke early and headed to Zeko's ship, which was renamed _The Sword of Salvation._ Thel watched and waved as Zeko boarded his ship and headed to the cockpit where he found his fireteam and a few other pilots from their other ship, including the Shipmaster Dedus.

"Arbiter, where will we be heading next?" Baal asked standing by his side. Zeko looked towards the sky before speaking.

"Onyx," he mumbled.

Knock-Knock chimed in. "Onyx? Is that something I can eat?" he said. Everyone on in the cockpit literally sighed from the fatigue of him and an awkward silence loomed. Dedus soon broke that silence.

"Arbiter, the coordinates for the joint controlled, former shield world, Onyx had been inputted. On your command, we shall depart from Sanghelios," he said calmly.

Zeko nodded in understanding and ordered the take-off of _The Sword of Salvation._

"It'll take four days before we arrive. I think I'll go get Taili to build me something. It's better than sticking around here and having to listen to Knock-Knock's icy love stories," Baal stated, beginning to leave the bridge. Zeko stood from his seat and followed.

"Good idea, Baal. I'll come with," he stated, soon leaving with Baal.

"Knock-Knock's stories aren't that bad. I think you all are just overreacting," Asterisk stated with slight laughter in her voice. Gal pretended to pull his gun and shoot himself in the head only to immediately play dead afterward. All the while Knock-Knock could be heard laughing in the background.

_I'll never understand how Zeko deals with these people on a daily basis,_ Dedus thought with an awkward expression on his face.

* * *

Admiral Osman attempted to read the next file, but her mind seemed to be somewhere else at the moment. She was trying to think about what was going to happen when the "special teammate" arrives. There will be mixed feelings about him, but she knew that he would be an asset to the team. If only she could make others see that.

_Zeko 'Vutum better be as good as the Arbiter says he__ is_, Osman thought. Knowing that she needed to focus, she returned her attention to the file of Cornelia T. Mason.

* * *

**Odd: I just loved seeing Zeko with Thel. I can't wait to see them again. *his ears prick up as if hearing something* Oh no. *dashes out***

***EAKsymphony and Alexandra walk in, talking about some new things***

**Alexandra: It's going to be interesting to see what's coming up.**

**EAK: Yeah, it is. *notices the computer* Why is this on, and why is it recording?**

**Alexandra: I didn't touch it, and I know that the others haven't touched it either.**

**EAK: *knowing who it could be* ODD!**


	3. Cornelia T Mason

**Alexandra: Hey everyone, sorry about the long wait. Between the holidays and everything else, there wasn't much time to really work.**

**EAK: *in the distance* Get back here, Odd!**

**Odd: *in the distance* Never!**

**Alexandra: That, and the fact the EAK has been chasing Odd since the last chapter. He seems to know how to keep away from her, but I think that she's wearing him down. Anyway, I make a brief appearance in this chapter and I hope that you like it. Also,**** 343 Industries own Halo and we own the OCs.**

* * *

The name's Mason, Cornelia T. Mason, but everyone calls me Niel, and I'm part of the Spartan-IV program. Having hazel eyes and black hair, my childhood wasn't always perfect. My father died on Harvest during the first battle of what would become the Human-Covenant War. However, I wasn't born until November of 2527, close to three years after he passed away. The only reason that I'm alive is because of the fact that my parents decided to freeze some of their eggs/sperm just in case something happened to the other and they still wanted a child with that person. She decided to have me about two years after his death, but she got more than she expected. When she gave birth to me, she also gave birth to my other two sisters, making us triplets. My other sisters are Lucy and Jiya. According to her, we were a bit of a handful, but that wasn't as bad as when she got remarried.

_'I HATE HIM! After mom married our step-dad (I refuse to call him my father), things were fine at first, but it all changed after a few months.' I was hiding in the closet with my other sisters, trying to hide from our step-dad. At that moment, I was writing down my thoughts in a diary when I heard the door to our room slam open. Taking a peek through the slight crack in the door, I saw him standing there as if looking for us._

_The look in his eyes was one that I had seen before: a look of yearning. Whenever he had the chance, he would take one of us and make us do stuff for him. Most of the time he took me, partially because I was trying to protect my sisters and partially because he seemed to like me more. He would make us change into these strange costumes and make us do certain things for him. Many times he would grab or spank my butt, but I usually kept those feelings inside. He would usually do it whenever mom was out of the house._

_Within seconds of him entering our room, mom entered the room as well. "What are you doing?! They are only young girls who haven't even reached puberty yet," she stated. In my mind, I knew what she said was true because we were only ten._

_"They're my girls as well and I can do whatever I want with them, wrench!" he exclaimed. The way he said it made me think that he was drunk._

_"While you may be their step-father, I'm their mother and I have more of a say in what happens to them than you. If this is what you're going to keep doing to them, then I should take them away from you!" Upon hearing this, I sent a quick message to my uncle, who was a member of the police, saying that he needed to get here quickly and that mom was possibly in danger. I knew that he would help his sister and us, for he had helped her when she had us._

_At that moment, I heard a thud come from the room. Taking a peek out, he had her pinned to the wall and he was beginning to undress her. When he finished, he forced her onto the bed. She struggled against him, but he was strong and began to hit her so that she would stop._

_Taking a quick look at my _sisters_, I silently told them to stay there and to not look out no matter what they heard. Once I did this, I leaped out of the closet and began attacking him from behind, which startled him, especially when I managed to get a hold of him and wouldn't let go. Despite my age and size, I managed to subdue him. Mom came up to me and hugged me, crying tears not only for what had happened to us but for the fact that I was safe._

That moment had changed my life. Upon arriving there, my uncle was surprised and impressed that I actually managed to do that. Afterward, mom divorced the guy and, thanks to the kindness of our uncle, let us move in with him after the guy was put in prison for abuse and child exploitation.

While I just wanted to forget about those events, my uncle didn't forget. In fact, he encouraged me to go into the service considering the potential that I showed on that day. Even my own sisters agreed with him on his suggestion. I wasn't convinced by them at first, but as I got older, I began to realize that they had a point because I had a tendency to protect others, especially when it came to my own family. After finishing school, I enlisted into the UNSC, deciding to go into the Army to be more specific. I managed to impress a lot of people during that time to the point that I was being promoted faster than most people. Eventually, I was recruited by ONI to be a part of the ONI Security.

As for my family, they decided that it was better to live on Earth than in the colonies during the Human-Covenant War, even before my mom married that monster of a step-dad. Lucy and Jiya decided to go into the sciences, for they preferred helping those who were doing the fighting than doing the fighting themselves.

_"You know that you've always been the protector of the family, and we can't even compare to you," Lucy exclaimed to me. They were just telling me of what they've been doing and that they weren't regretting their decision in not joining the UNSC._

_"Besides, it seems like we've made some good contributions," Jiya added. "If anything, our decision is probably based on your protection of us from when we were younger."_

_Lucy nodded and added, "For all we know, it could've been worse if you hadn't protected us back then."_

_I seemed a little embarrassed by what they said, but I knew that what they said was right. The following years after I protected our mom from him, I learned more about why he was making us do those things and what could've happened if he continued to do that to us. It was also through this gained knowledge that I realized that my actions were justified and why there weren't any potential charges against me._

_"I know that you two made this decision long ago, but I'm glad that you decided to do something that wouldn't be affected by your past," I told them and gave them a hug._

By the time that the Human-Covenant War came to an end sometime in 2553, I was well known in the ONI Security, but I still continued to be a part of it. It wasn't long afterward that another life-changing event happened.

_Currently taking a break from my duties, I was recording a message to send to my sisters. I was just telling them about something funny about a person when I heard a cough from behind me. Catching a quick glance over my shoulder, I knew that it was important and quickly finished the message. Facing the person, I knew that she meant business based on her expression._

_She began to discuss with me that they were recruiting people to be a part of the Spartan-IV program. At first, I wasn't sure about joining it, considering what I heard about the other two Spartan programs. Then I thought that this opportunity might not come around again and decided to take it._

I went through the augmentation process and rigorous training regime before I was even officially called a Spartan. The process at times seemed to make me a bit sore, but I managed to pull through it. However, once I officially became a Spartan, I was assigned to the UNSC _Meriwether Lewis._

Though I didn't run as many missions as some of the other Spartans, especially from what I heard of the Spartans on _Infinity_, I encountered many beings that made up the old Covenant. Out of them, there were really two beings that interested me: the Huragok and the Sangheili. The Huragok reminded me of my sisters, the way that they did things, and that their being was intriguing. As for the Sangheili, they reminded me of myself. The way that they were loyal and protected their honor reminded me of how I would protect others, especially my family and friends.

Life with the Spartans on _Meriwether Lewis_ is interesting, but it isn't as interesting as those who live on _Infinity_. If only I had the chance to be there, I think things would change for me in a big way.

* * *

"So this means that I will be transferring soon, am I correct?" I asked for affirmation.

"That is correct," the Captain responded. "Your work has been noticed by some pretty important people. They want you to be on the UNSC _Infinity_ within a few days and they will give you further information when you arrive."

With that, I saluted and left the office. The thought of being on the UNSC _Infinity_ was exciting. I would be with more Spartans than _Meriwether Lewis_. Not only that, but I would be doing something important if they wanted me on _Infinity_.

I went back to my accommodations and packed my things, preparing myself for the transport to _Infinity_.

* * *

Upon arriving on _Infinity_, I was appalled by its sheer size. It was much bigger than _Meriwether Lewis_, but it was much more than what I thought. I was wandering around _Infinity_'s S-deck, with my things and wearing my armor, except for my helmet, which I was carrying. At first, it would've seemed like I would've wandered around for hours if it wasn't for someone calling out to me. "Spartan Mason."

I turned to the person who called my name, to find another Spartan wearing white Stalker Arrow armor with blue accents. Like me, the Spartan wasn't wearing a helmet, a Recon RSO helmet with a Recruit style visor. She had brown hair and green eyes. "Yes, I'm Spartan Mason."

With a small smile, she said, "I'm Spartan Alexandra Nebulus. I was instructed to meet you and bring you to a meeting to discuss things." She glanced over my armor before adding, "Why don't we change your armor before we go. It might make you feel more at home."

With a look at my armor myself, I had to agree with her. I was on the _Infinity_ and a fresh look could do me some good. She helped me figure out what to do and got me situated with my new armor. I chose gold-colored Mark VI Gen1 armor that was accented with white, and the helmet being a Military Police helmet with a Secrets style visor. Satisfied with my decision, I went with her to the meeting.

After that, things changed.

* * *

Unlike the person before, she could tell that Spartan Mason was a natural fighter from when she was young. It almost made her think that if she was born earlier, Dr. Halsey might have gotten her. Either way, Osman knew that this Spartan was also a worthy candidate.

She then turned to the third and final profile that she had chosen.

* * *

**EAK: *having finally caught Odd* Got you! You aren't getting away from what you did.**

**Odd: *whimpering slightly* Alright, alright. Just let go of my tail, please!**

***Rolling her eyes slightly, she let go of Odd's tail, which he gently rubs***

**Alexandra: I'm not going to ask. Oh, by the way, Cornelia's armor is technically the scarred version, but since she just got the armor, it will stay like that until it gets scarred, then it will stay that way. Anyway, until next time.**


	4. Andromeda R Lucid

**EAK: Hey everyone. I know that we're currently in a global pandemic and that many of us are forced to stay home, but that doesn't mean that we can't try to make things as normal as possible.**

**Odd: Yeah, even we're trying to make things work and continue to work on this story from our homes.**

**EAK: So, for the time being, we're going to try and lift up your days with new content when we get it done.**

**Odd: Even if it takes us longer than usual to get something up.**

**EAK: Anyway, enjoy this new chapter, and remember that we own the OCs while 343 Industries owns Halo. (Also, this chapter contains a birth scene, but we tried to keep it within a rating worthy for TV.)**

* * *

My name is Andromeda R. Lucid and I'm the youngest Spartan-IV in history, being that I'm 19-years-old. I was born on March 23, 2538, on Reach. Back then, my parents were friends with the famous Keyes family.

_"Lieutenant Lucid, are the rumors true? I've been hearing that your wife, Selestia, is expecting soon."_

_Lucid turned in surprise to notice his old friend. He smiled before speaking. "Commander, I didn't notice you there. Yes, the rumors are as you say. I was actually just on my way to the hospital where she's expected," Lucid stated slowing his pace, and allowing Keyes to catch up._

_"Then I'm glad I caught you. I just wanted to let you know that you've got yourself a strong woman. You take care of her and raise that child with that special bit of ignorance I like about you," Commander Jacob Keyes stated._

_The Lieutenant scoffed lightly. "Ignorance? Commander, I have NO idea what you're talking about," Lucid said beginning to walk away. As he did, he waved at the Keyes with a slight smirk on his face. "You take care of yourself now, Commander. I have a daughter to introduce into the world."_

_Keyes smiled slightly at the comment._ A daughter, huh? If she was born a few years ago, she and Miranda could've been friends.

_A few hours later, Lieutenant Lucid calmly entered the room that his wife was occupying. She was surrounded by a few nurses and the doctor, preparing for her child's birth. "Honey, I was starting to think you wouldn't make it," Selestia stated in extreme exhaustion._

_Lucid approached her bedside with a warm smile. He grabbed her hand lightly and softly kissed it. "I told you the day I married you that I'd always be by your side, Selestia," he said, calmly looking into his wife's tired eyes._

_Selestia smiled warmly, but that smile quickly turned pained and her grip tightened. To Lucid, it felt as if she was cutting the blood circulation off in his hand. "She's nearly ready to give birth," a nearby nurse stated._

_With Selestia's grip tightening on Lucid's hand, her voice pitched and filled with pain. "Mrs. Lucid, we're going to need you to breathe," another nurse stated._

_"What does it look like I'm doing!" she yelled._

_"I know I'm not being the most productive here, but I'm not exactly sure of what to say here," Lucid stated awkwardly._

_Selestia tightened her grip on her husband and screamed in pain. "I can feel her!"_

_The doctor looked at the faces of the couple from her position at the foot of the bed and said, "The head is crowning. It's time to push, Mrs. Lucid."_

_"Finally!" she cried out. Though his one hand was hurting, he got closer to her and grabbed her other hand from behind her. Having both of his hands, she began to push._

_As she began to do so, the nurses kept an eye on her vitals. Before Lucid arrived, the doctor had noticed that there was something wrong with her vitals and asked for the nurses to help her keep an eye on them in case something happened._

_Selestia continued between pushing and breathing, each time that she pushed was more painful to her than the last. The doctor looked up and said, "The head is almost." It was then that the monitors started to beep. Knowing that it might not be good, the doctor added, "Just one last push and she'll be here."_

_Breathing a bit heavily, she looked at her husband. "I don't think that I can do it."_

_"Yes, you can. I believe in you. Just one more and she'll be here," Lucid said in a comforting voice._

_Taking in as many deep breaths as she could, Selestia gave one final push, crying out in pain as she did. With it, Lucid went to the doctor when she motioned with her head for him to come to her side, which he did. The doctor gave him the scissors and he cut the cord, a privilege that he was honored to have. His action resulted in the sound of a crying baby._

_Selestia felt relieved when she heard the voice of her baby. Lucid went up to her with their precious bundle of new life. a few moments after the crying had begun. She smiled as he got closer to her, but she felt too weak to try and hold her arms out to hold her baby._

_He had noticed this and held the baby close to her. Smiling, she managed to weakly grab the small hand and kiss the child's head. "My sweet little Andromeda, our little soldier," she weakly said. After saying this, she closed her eyes and her breathing stopped._

_The monitors flatlined after eccentric beeping that happened after the little baby was out. Knowing that they had little time to work, the doctor and nurses worked to try and revive Selestia, a nurse keeping Lucid and the baby away as the rest of them worked. After several minutes of resuscitation, the doctor called it and apologized to the Lieutenant._

_For the first time in his life, Lucid was in distress. Having just lost the love of his life, yet being blessed with his beautiful daughter, Andromeda Relius Lucid, he was unsure of what he wanted to do with his life._

_About a day later, Lieutenant Lucid could be seen at a local bar near the hospital. "Another," he called to the bartender._

_"That's your third this morning," the bartender stated._

_"You heard what I said," he called._

_"Bartender, hold that order."_

_In a groggy state, Lucid looked at the source of the voice to find Commander Keyes. "Keyes, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in space or something," he stated._

_Sitting down next to him, Keyes looked at his friend. "I know you're going through a rough time. You just lost your wife and have to raise a daughter on your own. A similar situation occurred with Miranda."_

_Lucid looked towards Keyes in irritation with a dazed expression. "Like hell, you know what I've been through! I just lost the love of my life, and now I have to raise our little girl with this career of mine! She's gonna grow up hating me and alone. When Selestia told me to be strong, I didn't expect it to this painful," he said crying into his empty shot glass._

_Knowing that he had to do something, Keyes turned Lucid towards him and slapped him across the face. "Lieutenant Lucid! Man up and get over it. You have a daughter to raise. If you continue to do this, you definitely won't have a future with her. Do you think this is what Selestia would have wanted?!"_

_Lucid paused for a moment. With the sharp stinging of Keyes's handprint across his face, he thought about what Selestia told him and found motivation in her words. Slowly he stood from his stool and wiped his face. "Sir, thank you. It'll take a bit longer for me to recover, but at least I know what to do now," he said paying his bill and rushing to the hospital._

After that day, dad, I mean, Lieutenant Lucid, focused on staying with me for the first ten years of my life. He taught me the basics of military combat and some other things so that I can defend and take care of myself when he couldn't be home. Even so, he loved and admired me dearly. In my preteen years, I continued training on my own, even when he was away. This made me independent by the time I was thirteen. However, the following year would change my life in an unexpected way.

The date of August 30th, 2552 will forever be edged into my head. He came home early the day before, stating that something just didn't feel right. I've never known my father to be a paranoid man, but when he was, I knew that something was definitely wrong.

He told me that he'd be taking me away from home for a few days to the current base he was stationed: Castle Base. I didn't object. Besides, what child wouldn't want to go with her father on an adventure to a military base…don't answer that. Anyway, when we arrived he told me that I had to stay in some strange room. I believe it was a panic room. Before he left he kissed my forehead and told me this: "I know all this might seem odd to you, Andromeda, but I can't shake this feeling that something horrible is going to happen. If it does, I want you as close as possible to me, I promise I'll come to get you once all this is over, if it even happens." I smiled warmly towards him and hugged him tightly.

I told him that everything was okay and that I trusted his decision making. With that, I released him and watched as he closed and locked the door behind him. It wasn't until a few hours later that the alarms went off. It caught me off guard, but after being trained by my father I was taught to keep calm, but that didn't keep my mind from racing with thoughts of what was happening to him.

I remember looking at my shaking hands and thinking that something horrible had happened to him. There was trembling in my body as I walked towards the door looking for a way out. In my mind, I kept reminding myself of what he ordered me to do, but I couldn't just leave him out there. Sure I was just a little girl, but I was in no way useless.

Without a second hesitation, I looked for the terminal locking the door and began to hack it. My father always told me that you never know when you gotta get behind a locked door.

The second the terminal flashed from red to green, signaling that it opened, I heard a loud explosion that rumbled the entire base, which was immediately followed by the loud sound of gunfire. However, there was another unfamiliar sound as well. It was what I now know as a plasma blast that was being shot.

Slapping myself on the cheeks to snap myself out of it, I quickly looked around for a weapon I could use to help my father whenever I came across him. Amongst the scientists that were fleeing, I noticed a few cowardly soldiers running away as well. It was like they'd never been in actual combat…it was pathetic, to say the least. Luckily for me, one of them dropped their M6D Magnum Sidearm. Though it was basic, it was an impressive weapon at the moment.

With quick thinking, I pulled a soldier aside and aggressively asked what was happening. He stated in a panicked state that Castle Base was under attack by the Covenant and that there were multiple contacts throughout the base, but my father was helping to hold off the line near the main entrance. The moment I got the information I needed, I hurried off to the entrance. I remembered the exact turns we took when we arrived and just retraced my steps.

As I arrived, I found my father being pinned against a wall by an Elite. Visions of him being killed before my eyes flooded my head. I refused to let them come to fruition. Dashing towards them, I shot the energy sword out of the Elite's hand and jump-kicked it in the face. His pain forced it to drop my father and focus on me.

My father called my name to distract the Elite, which was successful and allowed an opening, in which I took aim at where its body was exposed and unloaded an entire clip into it. Slowly it roared in death and fell to the ground. The entire encounter left me out of breath but I tried to collect myself. As I did, my father approached me, he seemed to be bleeding a bit but it was nothing serious.

He looked at me in anger, but quickly changed his expression and hugged me. He stated that he was proud of me and that I really was his and mom's little soldier. I smiled and reloaded my gun with a clip laying near me on the ground.

Noticing that it was covered in blood, I was hesitant to grab it, but slowly I followed what looked like a trail of blood connecting to the body of a dead soldier nearby. My heart immediately raced and my stomach filled with anxiety. I vomited suddenly and fell to my knees, slightly dizzy from it all. Suddenly, I felt my father's hand on my back. I looked towards him and saw a saddened expression on his face. It was then that I learned what it truly meant to be a soldier.

My father calmed his eyes and helped me up before he stated, "Andromeda, this is what it means to be a soldier. To die on the front line in an attempt to protect the people of the present and future." All of it made a bit too much sense to me. Even so, it didn't make me want to run from being a soldier, it made me want to be one even more.

Suddenly, my father was impaled through the back by an energy sword. The blade passed through him and nearly struck me. All of it was a shock to me, for it paralyzed me with fear. With the little energy my father had left, he wrapped his arms around me and fell forwards, ensuring that whatever Elite stabbed him assumed that its blade pierced both of us. As we hit the ground, tears formed in my eyes, and I heard my father's faint voice. He said that he loved me and that he was going to see my mom again. Slowly, his eyes began to close, but before they did completely, he stated one more thing. He said: "Use my body to keep yourself hidden, don't come out until help comes… Andromeda."

Everything went blank afterward. I don't recall much about what had happened after that, but when I woke up, I saw a woman's face looking at me.

Her mouth was moving, but my hearing was slow to adjust so that I could hear what she was saying. Another voice, though not completely audible now, was saying something about finding me and not wanting to leave me behind. I could that this person was also a woman, and by the way that I felt, I assumed was in her armored arms. The first woman looked at me again and asked for my name, which I was able to hear this time. I told her who I was and once again lost consciousness.

When I came to, we were on a ship and the woman I saw before was beside me. As my body slowly adjusted to everything that was happening, she asked me some questions. Many were personal, but some related to my ability to fight. At the time I had no idea why she asked those questions, but they eventually became clear to me.

Sometime later, she told me later to stay with a man they called Master Chief and handed me a data chip that I was to give to the UNSC, saying that it was from Doctor Catherine Halsey. I didn't know while she was doing this at the time, but I followed what she asked me to do and eventually made it to Earth.

Upon arrival, I met with some officers of the UNSC when I asked, which included Fleet Admiral Hood. As instructed, I gave them the data chip. I never knew what was on it or what they discussed amongst themselves, but I remained underneath the jurisdiction of the UNSC and became a better fighter. In early 2554, I found out that I was to become a part of the UNSC, but that I was to be a part of the Spartan-IV program.

_Having gone through the augmentation, Andromeda was sent with other Spartan-IVs to a space station for further training to truly become Spartans. Having gone through another rigorous session of training, she saw medics taking away the body of a mutilated Spartan. "Who would do such a thing?"_

_Looking at the source of the voice, not only did she know that she wasn't the only one to notice it, but that the voice belonged to Edward Buck, a former ODST that survived the events of New Mombasa. She had heard about him but didn't know a lot about him._

_Seconds later Commander Musa-096 ordered them all to return to their quarters. Though many saw her as more of a rebellious teen, she followed orders. It was there, back on her bed, that she began to think that something wasn't right. How could someone manage to take down a Spartan? Before she could think of anything, she began to hear gunshots._

_Though the situation that was currently happening reminded her of what happened on Reach, she tried to block those memories out for her own sake. Not long after that did she realize that she was no longer on her bed, but was floating just above it. "Someone must have turned off the artificial gravity to the station," Andromeda said aloud._

_She didn't go and investigate what was going on because she wanted to show the others on the station that she was capable of handling anything. When the artificial gravity returned, she didn't ask questions on what happened, nor did she go to the former ODST to see if he knew what happened._

Luckily there weren't any more incidents after that. By the time that I had finished my training, I was assigned to the UNSC _Infinity_, along with many other Spartans. However, before I arrived at _Infinity_, I was told that Dr. Halsey had requested to see me. I went and met with her, which I was surprised about, but it was nice to see the person that saved me all those years ago. Despite that, hopefully, my past can be behind me and I can move forward with life.

* * *

Having finished looking at Andromeda's file, Osman felt like she had chosen a good team. "Roland," she called.

The yellow airman appeared in front of Osman. "How can I help you, Admiral?"

"Can you send Spartan Lucid here? I would like to speak with her."

"Right away, Admiral," Roland stated, quickly fading from Osman's desk.

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Meanwhile, on the S-Deck, Spartan Lucid could be seen training with Commander Palmer in the boxing ring.

"Um, Commander, are you sure about this? I only just got here and you already seem to have it out for me," Andromeda stated with slight nervousness.

"Spartan, it's my job to command all Spartan fireteams on this vessel. That said, you are a special case. You're literally the youngest Spartan-IV that exists right now. Would I be so wrong as to want to test your skills in combat?" Palmer asked with a slight smirk on her face.

Andromeda nervously laughed for a moment, she quickly tightened her fist and smiled. "Hmph, I'm honored then, Commander. I assure you that I won't disappoint you."

Then, the smart AI Roland appeared standing between the two of them with his arms out in a halting motion. "Commander, sorry to interrupt, but Spartan Lucid will be coming with me. Admiral Osman would like to speak with her," he stated.

Palmer exhaled in disappointment. "Well, I suppose it can't be helped. Next time, Lucid, you won't be getting off so easily." She then added, "In fact, I have my own business to attend to, _she_ should be in the mess hall right now." Palmer had mumbled the last part.

_I finally get the opportunity to speak with Admiral Osman. Yes, I can finally give her the package. Halsey, wherever you are, my debt to you is finally about to be repaid_, Andromeda thought as she was being led away by Roland.

A few moments later, Andromeda entered Osman's temporary office with a data chip of sorts clutched in her right hand. "Admiral, you wished to speak with me," she questioned.

Osman stood slowly from her desk and approached Andromeda directly. Osman inhaled before speaking. "Spartan Lucid, I have read your profile, and I must say, there are some things that I have questions about."

Before Osman could continue on, Andromeda looked Osman in the eye. "Admiral, I mean no disrespect, but there is something that I have to give you from an old _mentor_."

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**Odd: Well that's all of the human intros for now. *Smirking* We have some good ideas yet to come.**

**EAK: Odd, let's not get carried away. We still have a lot to do before we even get there. Anyway, we just want to wish that everyone stays safe and healthy during these trying times, and we will hopefully return to a decent normal soon.**


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